Lotoo PAW S2
Compact, high performance DAC and headphone amplifier
The lastest version of Lotoo's ultra portable DAC/Amp combo. Compared to the PAW S1 it offers a 45% increase in ouput power on single-ended and a 20% increase on the balanced ouput. New amplifier technology also means lower noise floor and less distortion. EQ presets now include the new ACG-1, and the ATE presets now include Cassette and Vinyl LP, the latter including pops and clicks for that real nostalgia feel.
It’s hard to understand how much a thing this small can do for your personal audio. With a size of just 6,6 x 2,2 x 1,3 cm, weighing 29 grams, it doesn’t exactly invoke feelings of high-end audio. But looks can be deceiving! – Lotoo PAW S2 is an excellent portable DAC and headphone amplifier, that will take your love of music to the next level. It’s powered via USB and is compatible with both Windows PC and Mac computers, Android and iOS.
In terms of audio quality, the Lotoo PAW S2 is on another level compared to many other offerings in this category. It has a raven black background, loads of dynamics and details to boot. Whether you’re using headphones for music, movies or games, and whether your music collection is exclusively DSD format files or you’re listening to Spotify, rest assured that introducing the PAW S2 into the mix, will make you love what you listen to, even more.
Lotoo PAW S2 is inspired by the digital audio players from Lotoo
The PAW S2 is equipped with an AKM4377 chipset, that handles DSD64 and PCM up to 32-bit/484kHz. So, there’s basically no limit to the quality of files this DAC will work its magic on. With a noise floor of 121dBu and a THD+N of -109dB, the performance from this pocket rocket, is on par with other, some far more expensive, DACs. For the outputs, Lotoo has decided on both a 3.5mm unbalanced and a 4.4mm balanced Pentaconn connector. The balanced output sounds better, but it’s also more powerful, and there are definitely gains to be made, if you’re the owner of a headphone with this type of connector. Another feature that’s inspired by the series of portable audio players, is the extensive selection of EQ presets. There’s 16 of them and they include, among others, Rock, Movie, Game, etc.
The EQ settings, volume control and gain settings are displayed on the tiny OLED screen, along with information about the quality of the file that’s currently being played.
Updating the PAW S2 firmware
Lotoo issues firmware upgrades once in a while, to squash bugs and maybe add new features. You can download the Lotoo PAW S2 firmwares here
| Measurements | 6,6 x 2,2 x 1,3 cm |
| Weight (net) | 27 grams |
| Input, USB | 1 |
| Output, Headphone | Yes, 3,5 mm TRS, Yes, 4,4 mm Pentaconn |
| Audio decoding | DSD128 / 5.6 MHz, MQA decoder and renderer |
| Supported sample rates, kHz | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352, 384 |
| Supported bit depth | 16 bit, 24 bit, 32 bit |
| Audio chipset | AKM 4377 |
| Power | 3.5mm: 125mW/ch @32Ω / 4.4mm: 150mW/ch @32Ω |
| In the box | Users guide |
| Other included accessories | 12cm USB-C > USB-C cable, 85cm USB-C > USB-C cable + USB-C > USB-A adapter, belt clip |
